M arch 31, 1993 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age B 10
ATTENTION
HOMEOWNERS
25 HOMES
WANTED
To Train Applicators
(Under Supervision-
Pully Guaranteed)
To Install
NEW 1993
Vinyl Siding
MAIL COUPON OR CALL
ANDERSON BUILDERS &
CONSTRUCTION, INC.
3511 N.E. 74th Portland, OR 97213
(503) 281-1855
NAM E_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ADDRESS_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
CITY_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
PHONE
Financing
O.A.C.
CCB#52603"™
ANKRBC135RI?
Patrick LaCrosse
Resigns As PDC
Executive Director
Patrick L. LaCrosse announced
his resignation as Executive Director
of the Portland Development Com­
mission (PDC) after 12 years in that
position, citing a long-standing desire
to make a change and a sense of
satisfaction with PDC’s achievements
in the past decade.
LaCrosse’s resignation is effec­
tive March 31st. Douglas E Butler,
PDC’s Deputy Director, will take over
as Acting Executive Director on April
1st. LaCrosse who was appointed
Executive Director in 1981, has served
PDC for almost 20 years He w as PDC
housing director from 1973 to 1980.
A decision on a permanent suc­
cessor to LaCrosse will not be made
until after voters decide on the urban
renewal local option ballot measure
proposed for a June 29th statewide
ballot.
288-0033
Filing Of Lawsuit To Replace Low-
Cost Housing To Be Destroyed
as required by federal law.
194 low-cost single residential
occupancy (SRO) units at the hotels
will be destroyed as a result of the new
federal courthouse project
Susan
Emmons, Executive Di rector of North­
west Pilot Project, stated that “this
represents the single greatest loss of
low-cost housing units in Portland’s
history at a time when we have an
acute shortage of affordable housing
in our community. Between 1978 and
today there has been a loss of nearly
1,000 SRO units in Portland repre­
senting a 20% reduction in this impor­
tant housing stock. During this period
of time the estimated number of home­
less people has increased by over 750%
from 225 in 1975 to 1,700 in 1992
(including children). The additional
loss of low-income units by this federal
action will contribute to more hope­
lessness and place an additional bur-
den on local taxpayers to replace the
housing.”
Ms. Emmons also stated that “ad­
vocates of low-cost housing and the
general public were assured by the
federal government during the past
year that these low-cost housing units
would be replaced by federal dollars.
Notwithstanding those assurances and
even though the federal government
has only authorized approximately
one-half of the necessary financing,
GSA is rapidly moving forward with
the courthouse project.”
Northwest Pilot Project is a non­
profit social service agency serving
elderly, disabled, poor and homeless
people with a primary focus on pro­
moting decent affordable housing.
Multnomah County Legal Aid Ser­
vices is a non-profit agency providing
legal se n ices to low-income people in
Multnomah County.
small drip. Minor drips can cause rot­ Tiot-water heater, central air condi­
ting in vanity cabinets and in the wood tioner. and furnace for these valves.
In the event that you ever detect the
or wallboard, often going unnoticed
odor
of gas, do not turn on any lights
until it is too late and a major repair is
or
use
any electrical fixtures, open all
necessary.
doors
and
windows to ventilate the
The main shut-off valve for the
area,
turn
off
any valves to the appli­
house usually is located in the base­
ment or garage at the front or rear of ances, and immediately call your gas
the house. In the event that the indi­ Company s emergency number, w hich
vidual fixtures' shut-off valves do not you should keep handy at all times.
work or were not installed, use this There also is a main shut-off before
and after the gas meter. It usually is
valve to isolate the water.
P ropane/N atural G as
Accord­ an in-line valve, and requires pliers or
ing to building codes, shut-off valves a wrench to turn off. The valve should
also are required for all gas-fed appli­ be perpendicular to the piping to shut
ances. Check your dryer, oven. off the flow.
Never try to replace any gas fixtures
on your ow n. A licensed, insured
plumbing contractor should be con­
tacted for any gas-related work.
O il — The same shut-off valves
should be located before oil-fed equip­
ment. In addition, a main shut-off
valve is located near the oil tank. In
the event of a break in the line, turn
off the main valve.
Electric — Most houses have one
electric panel, located in the basement.
Hopefully, the labels indicating the
areas served by each breaker or fuse
have been filled in. If you are buying
a new house, insist that this labeling
be completed. In addition to the indi­
vidual breakers, there is a main breaker
usually located at the top of the panel.
In the event that you work on any mi­
nor electrical repairs, always turn off
the main breaker.
On Friday, March 19 representa­
tives from Northwest Pilot Project and
Multnomah County Legal Aid Service
held a press conference at the First
Congregational Church, 1126 SW Park
in Portland. At that time. Northwest
Pilot Project and tenants residing at
the Hamilton and Lownsdale Hotels
announced the filing of a lawsuit in
Federal District Court against the
United States General Services Ad­
ministration (“GSA”). The suit in­
cludes a class action by tenants for a
declaratory judgment and injunctive
relief challenging GSA’s actions in
approving acquisition of the Hamilton
Hotel block and notifying tenants to
vacate prior to evaluating the impact
of the loss of low-cost housing on the
hum an environm ent in downtown
Portland The lawsuit alleges the GSA
has failed to prepare a comprehensive
Environmental Impact Statement (E1S)
by Joe Z orc
Dad's heating
Oil oils Sarrica
PM Editorial Services
The follow ing are a tew basic main­
tenance items you should know about
your house:
W ater — It is important to know a
little about the water sources in your
house and how they can be isolated in
Speedy
Best Cash Prices
the
event of a leak at one ot the fixtures
Service
104 NE Russell
or
plumbing
lines.
Friendly
Portland, OR 97212
It
is
common
to install a shut-off
M IL
Call for Quote!
282-5111
valve before a toilet, sink, shower/tub,
etc., are put in place. These usually are
just below the fixture, inside the van­
ity cabinet, or found behind an access
panel directly behind the wall of the
shower or tub. It is recommended that
you test the shut-off valves and inspect
them for leakage. Often the packing
Oregon’s 16 community colleges are ational vehicle, raft, horse-drawn car­ around the valve needs to be replaced,
;elebrating April as National Com- riage, bicycle, car, hot air balloon, or a nut needs to be tightened to stop a
nunity Col lege Month with the theme, helicopter and raft throughout the
Oregon Community Colleges: Roads state.
The flag depicts a map of Oregon, the
:o O pportunity”
The highlight of the month is a state­ locations of O regon’s 16 community
wide road trip during which students, colleges and the theme of the celebra­
staff and community college support­ tion.
ers will carry a flag from college to Tb»» «•»„- >f the road trip will be
illcy Community College
Many volunteers are needed to
college, presenting it to Governor
Roberts art a rally kicking off the in Ontario on April 2. Treasure Val­ assist in the 1993“’! Remember Mama”
national convention of community ley was selected as the starting point M other’s Day Brunch hosted by Vol­
college educations in Portland on April since it is closest to the starting point unteers of America Oregon. This spe­
of the Oregon Trail in Oregon. The cial event will provide a free brunch
28.
Each college is planning unique and flag will travel to each community for 200 elderly women who would
innovative methods of moving the college in Oregon throughout April, otherwise spend the day alone Volun­
flag to the college next on the trail arriving at Clackamas Community teers are needed to greet women, es­
route. Plans are underway for trans­ College in Oregon City-roughly the cort to tables, and assist with brunches
porting the flag by foot, ski, recre­ end of the Oregon T ra il-o n April 27. from 11 00 a m. to 2:00 p.m on Sun­
day, May 9.
“This event is a really nice way to
With Us
spend M other’s Day if you can’t be
with your own mother. The women
really appreciate the assistance, and
its fun to help them,” said Jeri Sager,
Volunteer Coordinator. Those inter­
ested in volunteering for the event
J U
S
T
I C
E
R
E
A
L
T
Y
should call Volunteers of America at
235-8655.
3 0 3 -2 0 5 -3 6 2 5
Zanette Johnson, a senior at Or-
6501 N o r th I n t e r s t a t e ^ P o r t l a n d , O r e . 97217
egonEpiscopal School, lias progressed
to Finalist status in the National
Achievement Scholarship Program for
Outstanding Negro Students
Community College flag
follows Unique “Oregon
Trail” In April
Volunteers
Needed To
Assist Elderly On
Mother’s Day
ec.
‘Happiness is a place called home”
0%, 3% & 6%
Home Improvement Loans
Join Other Portland Homeowners
with Neighborhood Pride!
H o m e improvement loans are available in Piedmont, Woodlawn, Concordia, Sabin, Eliot,
Boise, Humboldt, King and Vernon neighborhoods. At 0%, 3% and 6% interest, depending
on your income - these are probably the best rates in town. You may qualify to borrow up to
$12,500 from the Portland Development Commission (PDC) and show your neighborhood
pride by making your home and neighborhood an even better place to live.
Y o u r chances of qualifying for one of these City loans are good if you own your home, need
city-approved repairs or improvements, and have a qualifying income.
Fair Housing Conference Held Here
The ninth annual Oregon Fair
Housing Conference will be held in
Portland at the Convention Center on
Friday, April 2, 1993 from 8:00am to
5:30pm. The conference, which marks
the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
passage of Title VIII o f the Civil
Rights Act of 1968. is expected to
draw more than 400 participants from
Oregon and southern Washington.
The annual fair housing conference is
one of the largest gatherings devoted
to civil rights in housing in the county.
Representatives expected to attend
include urban and rural housing ad­
vocates, government officials, hous­
ing providers, real estate profession­
als and members of the financial com­
munity.
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act
of 1968 bans discrimination in the
sale, rental, finance, advertising, and
the brokerage of housing based on
race, religion, color, sex, and national
o rig in . T he 1988 F air H ousing
Amendments Act added non-discrimi­
nation protection for families with
children and people with disabilities
The law also strengthens enforcement
procedures for fair housing com­
plaints. as well as imposes substantial
fines for those engaged in discrimina­
tory housing practices.
The event’skey speakers include
Hazel Lewis, a member of the Na­
tional Association of Realtors, a real
estate broker and expert in equal op­
portunity in housing from Arlington,
Texas; Stephen Dane, a nationally-
recognized litigator and expert on
mortgage lending discrimination is­
sues; Judith Chaney, Vice President
and Community Investment Officer
for the Federal Home Loan Bank of
Seattle; Congresswoman Elizabeth
Furse, member of the U S. House of
Representatives who represents the
firstdistrict of Oregon; Judge Michael
Marcus, a district court judge for
Multnomah County and advocate of
housing civil rights, and Rcy Ramsey,
the Director of Oregon s Housi ng and
Community Services Department
The conference will also feature
panel discussions and workshops con­
ducted by professionals in the hous-
ing and banking industries, public
sector and non-profit agencies. Work­
shop topics include affordable rural
housing; fairness in real estate, lend­
ing, appraisal and insurance prac­
tices; cultural diversity issues; and
discussions of legal issues in advertis­
ing, accessibility, senior housing, and
federal, state and local housing laws.
Sponsors of the conference in­
clude the U S Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD), the
Portland Community Housing Re­
source Board, M ultnomah County
Community Development Program,
the State ofOrcgon Housi ng and Com­
munity services Department, d a rk
County Department of Community
Serv ices, the cities of Vancouver and
Portland. N ational A ssociation of
Housingand Redevelopment Offidals,
Oregon Association o f Realtors, O r­
egon League of Financial Institutions
and numerous Portland area banks
For more information about the
conference or registration, contact
Carlsic Sprague at (503) 248-3617 or
Janet Hawkins at (503)248-3707.
Before and after photos o f a successful home repair loan project — one more family showing neighborhood pride.
I f you have questions, or would like to find out if you qualify for a loan, call PDC's Eastside
Neighborhood Housing Preservation Office at 823-3400, Monday through Friday, 8 a m.
to 5 p.m. Remember, City funds are limited for this program, so call
today to begin enjoying the benefits of your home repairs.
LJI
PDC is the City's agency for urban renewal, housing and economic development. The
home repair loan program is funded through a federal Community Development
Block Grant administered by the Bureau o f Community Development.
PORTLAND
DEVELOPMENT
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